PERSON COUNTY TIMES
A PAPER FOR ALL THE PEOPLE
J. S. MERRITT, EDITOR M. C. CLAYTON, MANAGER
THOMAS J. SHAW, JR., City Editor.
Published Every Thursday and Sunday. Entered As Second
Class Matter At The Postoffice At Roxboro, N. C., Under
The Act Os March 3rd., 1879.
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News from our correspondents should reach this office not
later than Tuesday to insure publication for Thursday edition
and Thursday P. M. for Sunday edition.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 22, 1940
The Flood That Swells
North Carolinians within the past week have ex
perienced the worst flood since the memorable deluge of
1916 and are only now beginning the slow business of
rehabilitation, while the climax of the rage of the
Roanoke is being felt at Williamston. People in such
areas as Person, where the absence of large rivers mini
mized flood hazards should be grateful to have escaped,
but we would appreciate it much more if people here and
all over the nation could be as much concerned with that
other flood—militarization which is sweeping all in A
merica before it.
Week after week we have watched militarization
grow and the end is not yet, despite Congressional
wranglements over conscription. In the name of Nation
al Defense many changes are being wrought in this
country. Some of them, like the recent agreement with
Canada should have been instituted long ago. Others,
such as unofficial baitings for “Fifth Coluumnists"
ought not be ’tolerated by a free people.
Floods, as we have been re-taght by experience,
sweep all before them and engulf alika.the cabins of the
poor and the plantation houses of the well-to-do, and
now ipore than ever do we need to be on guard against
war hysteria. We must be prepared against such floods,
we must increase our army and our navy, we must re
valuate patriotism and we must give what aid we can
to Great Britain, but there is no sense in losing our
heads because the water level rises.
o—o—o—o
From Wallace To Wickard
Announcement has been made of the appointment
of Undersecretary of Agricultuure, Claude R. Wickard,
native of Indiana, as successor to his chief, Secretary of
Agriculture, Henry A. Wallace. Subject to Senate con
firmation, Wickard has announced that he will continue
the Wallace policies, while Wallace, as Democratic no
minee for vice president, has announced that after Sep
tember 4 he will start a campaign described by Roose
velt as “devoted exclusively to an interpretation of the
agricultural program”.
Nobody has heard much about Wickard, but he is
one of those Democrats who came in with the New
Deal, he is from a section of the nation where Democra
tic votes will count and if he is to continue the Wallace
policies we suppose he will be satisfactory to the ad
ministration and to the better part of the farmers of
the nation. Nothing more can be said of the new Secre
tary of Agriculturue now. We hope, however, that he
will,in some way demonstrate more evidence of person
ality leadership than Mr. Wallace has been able to mus
ter.
O—o—O—O
The Habit of Slamming Windows . .
Some two-three weeks ago John Clarence Cudahy,
United States ambassador to Belgium, seated in a
chair in the London house of Joseph P- Kennedy, who
holds the same position at the Court of St. James, gave
an interview in which he expressed frank opinions re
garding comparatively decent treatment of Belgians by
German troopers. While Cudahy was warming to his
subject, the nervous Kennedy walked over to an open
window. Kennedy stood the ordeal as long as he could.
When the Cudahy interview reached a still more
embarrassing point, Kennedy who would hear no more
of it, slamming the window. The jar shook the house,
just as it was intended to shake Mr. Cudahy’s unortho
dox interview.
This week in Washington we have just been treat
ed to another case of window-slamming, this time by ir
ate Senators who have objected to yet another ambas
sadorial message. The culprit in this instance is William
C. Bullitt, ambassador to France, who on Sunday night
delivered a speech in Philadelphia in which he asserted
that the United States was in danger of invasion by
Germany, advocated conscription and urged that destroy
ers be made immediately available to Great Britain.
The senatorial comments on Bullitt, made during
debate on peace-time draft, went so far as to accuse
Bullitt of pro-war and dictatorial leanings and sought
to cast aspersions on his previous diplomatic service in,
Soviet Russia.
From the two examples furnished by the Cudahy
:and Bullitt incidents, as well as from the not forgotten
Lindbergh-at-Chicago speech, we are forced to conclude
thkt there is entirely too much irresponsible window
slamming being done at home and abroad by Americans
who are forgetting basic principles of freedom of speech
.supposed to be in the American tradition. In defending
the American right to freedom of opinion on any and all
subjects we are not saying that we agree in toto with all
that has been said by the ambassadors or by Lindbergh,
but when Senators and others supposed to be of intelli
gence bandy such words as “treason” and “fifth col
umnist” it is time to call a halt on loose tongues wagged
by looser thinking.
It may be true that Mr. Cudahy, Mr. Bullitt and
Col. Lindbergh should be more careful to weigh the
words in public, but their fellow citizens
gain nothing by accusing them of lack of patriotism. /
-W~ /
PERSON COUNTY TIMES ROXBORO, N. C.
British Abandon Somaliland .....
Durham Morning Herald
The British have abandoned British Somaliland to
Mussolini’s forces. They say according to plan. The It
alians say because repeated defeats made abandon
ment the only British out.
Accepting the explanation most favorable to the
British, which of course is the one London stresses, it
adds up to an important gain for Mussolini and a costly
defeat for Britain-
True, the barren land involved is of no value to
anyone. It was, as a matter of fact, largely hemmed in
by Italian Somaliland to begin with, and the British are
not a whole lot worse off now that Italy controls the
whole area.
But even if the prize amounts to little, Mussolini
has scored a victory he can exploit before his people and
Britain has suffered a defeat that won’t help the morale
of Britons. Moreover, in that part of the world prestige
counts and each setback suffered lowers the prestige of
the suustaining country, in this instance Britain.
Os still greater importance, is the victroy the Italians
have gained in pursuit of their campaign to wrest con
trol of the Suez Canal from Britain. Everybody will
therefore interpret the success as a step toward the
seizure of Suez and in point of fact it is just that.
Italy, because of her victory, is in a better position
to move on the Suez and the British, by reason of their
defeat, are less able to defend Suez.
Scanners of all scenes for unadmitted evidence that
the British are indeed hard pressed and are grabbing at
all straws will see in the abandonment of Somaliland in
dications that the British put up weak resistance there
before they felt compelled to concentrate efforts else
where. And they’ll read the same meaning into reports
that the British are quite willing to lease bases to the
United States in exchange for immediate material aid,
say destroyers, and are taking new precautions daily to
reckon with Nazi air onslaughts.
Os course, Italy’s capture of Somaliland amounts to
little either way unless to it can be added the really val
uable areas in that section, including Egytian-Sudan
If the British are able to surrender Somaliland and stop
Italy there, nobody has gained much or lost much. An
that, of course, is what the British hope to do. They say
they didn’t try to hold Somaliland but they’ll certainly
try to hold approaches to Suez. We hope they succeed.
o— 0 0 0
Walter P. Chrysler
The death of Walter P. Chrysler calls attention to
a man who as completely as any American in this cen
tury demonstrated that the idea that the doors of oppor
tunity are closed in this land in first-class nonsense.
Walter Chrysler was not one of the lucky ones who grew
up from the beginning with the automobile induustry.
He grew up instead with Walter Chrysler from an ap
prenticeship in a railroad shop to eminence in the busi
ness world- He did not get info the automobile business
until after he had become at 33 in the old railroad indus
try superintendent of motive power for the Chicago
and Great Western Railroad. He took a 50 per cent, sal
ary cut when he was 37 years old to go into the auto
mobile business in 1912. He was 50 years old when he
put the first car bearing his name on the American mar
ket.
There are no such opportunities for everybody in
this world. There never have been. But opportunity is
still as much the matter of the inside of a man as the
outside around him. It always will be.
Tobacco Festival Plans
Completed And Announced
Great Celebration To Be
Held At South Boston on
September 5 and 6.
By Bolling Lambeth
South Boston, Va., Aug. 21
In a little over two weeks thous
ands of people from all parts of
the United States will crowd this
little Southside Virginia town for
tobacco’s official celebration to
be held September 5 and 6.
With its inception in 1934 as a
local club sponsored golden jubi
lee show, South Boston has seen
the rise to international promin
ence of the National Tobacco Fes
tival, now generally recognized at
“tobaccols official annual cele
bration” and one of the most
widely publicized events in the
United States.
Its success has been due main
ly to the untiring efforts of com
munity leaders, and to the innum
erable citizen committeemen and
women who have coordinated
community effort into a festival
system almost incomparable in
the annals of organization experi
ences. As the 1940 festival appro
aches, 30 committees with over
300 members, backed by South
Boston’s dynamic planning dir- j
ector. W. B. Barbour, have made
ready for over 150,000 people who
will witness what will perhaps to
the biggesrt. and best festival
show ever prsented.
A $6,000 outdoor historic page
ant will be the outstanding fea
ture at South Boston on Septem
ber 5 and 6. National Tobacco
Festival officials secured the ser
vices of T. Beverly Campbell,
nationally known playwright
and his partner, Howard South
gate of the School of Drama of
New York University, to write
and produce the show. Early in
the summer they came to South
Boston and made ready the beau
tiful natural outdoor theatre
where for two nights they wail
produce a sensationally spectac
ular historic pageant using spec
ial properties valued at $50,000
in costumes, $5,000 in scenery,
and $25,000 in lighting equipment.
The outdoor dramatic production
will be produced around a James
t:wn, Va., setting depicting the
rise of the great tobacco indus
try from its colonial origin. Pro
minent Broadway personalities
will come to South Boston to play
more important parts of Powha
tan, Pocohontas, and Tocomocomo,
the Indian medicine man. The
show presented by Campbell and
Southgate will contain consider
able dramatic continuity, and re
semble a legitimate stage produc
tion more than the usual pageant
masque.
Work was begun here about two
weeks ago for the festival’s four
mile parade which doubtless at
tracts more attention than any
other event on the South Boston
two day schedule. A large ware
h'nuse production plant was open
ed and a staff of men are engag
ed in preparing magnificent floats
From over 120,000 pounds of pro-
perties assembled, over fifty elab
orate decorated floats will be
made. Bedecked with lovely prin
cesses these floats will cover a
four mile course in a colorful par
ade interspersed by some thirty
bands and drum and bugle corps.
The floats, sponsored by various
enterprises will all enter a com
petition climaxed by awards giv
en by expert judges.
Lovely Martha Scott, promin
ent star of stage and screen, and
leading lady in the new Frank
Lloyd cokmial Williamsburg film
ed picture, “The Howards of Vir
ginia”, will reign over the two
days Tobaccoland fiesta as Queen
Tobacco VI. Miss Scott will come
to South Boston the day after the
Richmond premiere of her new
Virginia picture, and be the cen
ter of attention throughout the
festival celebration. From the time
of her entourage along the age
old oak lined streets where she
will be acclaimed by thousands
of admirers, until the last sweet
tune of the world’s largest dance
given in her honor in a tobacco
auction house accommodating 10,-
000 couples, Queen Tobacco VI
will be the idol of the festival
thousands.
James A. Farley, • retiring
chairman of the Democratic Nat
ional Committee will preside at
the ccronation of Miss Scott as
Regina Tobacco VI. The ceremony
will be held in a beautiful out
door theatre.
On Thursday night the largest
square dance ever held will bring
many an old timer to his feet
to the calls of “swing your part
ner” as a nationally famous string
band turns the festival commun
ity back to the days when the
fiddle held the spotlight.
Old tclbacco plantation tours,
specially featuring Charlotte coun
ty Virginia’s historic homes and
attractions, will be presented on
Thursday. John Randolph’s Roan
oke river plantation, Patrick Hen
ry’s old home, and his original
wjll be on display at the old
Charlotte court house, will be
interesting scenes arranged for
the tours by the Charlotte coun
ty woman’s club. Distinguished
guests will be treated to a gen
uine Virginia dinner when they
make the tour of Charlotte coun
ty’s historic sights.
Climaxing the two day tobacco
land festivity will be the Tobacco
Ball featuring Guy Lcmbardo and
his Royal Canadians and given in
honor of Queen Martha Scott and
her court of over 100 princesses
from almost every Virginia com
munity and as many as a dozen
other states. The dance will fol
low the second night’s presenta
tion of the historic pageant at
which time the queen will be
crowned and together with prin
cesses will be given a spotlight in
troduuetion.
Southern hospitality and fun
will be the theme when this little
Southern Virginia city proudly
swings open her gates ready to
entertain 40 times her population
at another big National Tobacco
Festival on September 5 and 0.
o
British Levy Huge
Tax on Cigarettes
o
20 Cents A Package Paid As
Contrasted With 6.5 Cents
Paid In U. S.
British smokers are now pay
ing a tax of about 20 cents per
pack on cigarettes, E. Y. Floyd
Extension tcibacco specialist and
AAA executive officer of N. C.
State College, reported today up
,on receipt of the latest Federal
. report of foreign crops and mark
ets. This contrasts with a tax of
6.5 cents per package in the
, United States, he said.
The United Kingdom recently
increased import duties on to
bacco products for the fourth time
since April, 1939. The latest in
crease brings the duty on United
States leaf to about $3.93 a pound
, at the official rate of exchange.
Floyd also pointed to another
, report in the release from the
Office of Foreign Agricultural
Relations in Washington whilch
. says that the consumption of
. United States leaf and cigarettes
. in Peru in 1939 is nearly double
that of 1937. “The Peruvian mark
, et is comparatively small, but it
shows possibilities for increasing
sales to Latin American countri
es,” Floyd stated;
Leaf tobacco from Cuba and
the United States, and cigarettes
from the United States,, Cuba
and the United Kingdom account
for the most of Peru’s tobacco im
ports. Cigarettes imported totaled
115,000 pounds' in 1939 as compar
ed with 55,000 in 1937. Use of
United States leaf in Peru, large
ly flue-cured, increased from 33,-
000 pounds in 1937 to 55,000
pounds in 1939.
Floyd said that the Federal re
port also revealed that high pro
duction and consumption of to
bacco in Mexico is continuing.
On the other hand, Greece has
its second smallest crop since
1922.
Lost: One Bazooka-
Which Is Probably
A Pretty Good Idea
Bob Burns has lost his origin
al bazooka, the famous instru
ment on which he blew his way
to fame and fortune.
The instrument, fashioned
from two pieces of gas pipe, but
as important to Burns as a Strad
ivarius tcs Kreisler, fell from a
truck or boat as it was being ship
ped to the “Cornin’ Round the
Mountain” location at Lake Ar
rowhead from Hollywood. The
picture opens today at the Palace
Theatre.
Deeply concerend over the loss,
Bums immediately offered a re
ward of SSOO for the return of the
bazooka.
“That old pipe means more to
me than just a musical instru
ment,” Bums said, when a search
of properties failed to disclose the
bazooka. ‘I put it together in 1905,
and it’s been like my right arm
ever since.
Meanwhile,, a rush order was
sent to Burns’ home for the one
spare bazooka ,newly made and
held in readiness for just such an
emergency for use in “Cornin’
Round the Mountain,” in which
Bob plays a feudin’ hillbilly. ..
o
“Lil says she gets to bed at
ten every night.”
“Yea, I have a picture of her
dicing it.”
“Great! I’d like to see it.”
Hpis
Check your pantry after
your vacation is over so
you can keep on hand a
supply of can foods. You
never know when ex*
tra guest will drop in*"
Check over our shelves
for quality foods with a
big saving.
Carl Winstead
THURSDAY, AUGUST 22, 1940
EJND OF “BLACK EMPEROR’S”
DREAM OF AFRICAN THRONE
Remarkable story telling of
spectacular rise and fall of “The
Great Liberator” who collected
millions, made Earls and Dukes of
his contributors and complained
that Musolini and Hitler had stol
en his ideas.
One of many features in the
September Ist issue of The Amer
ican Weekly, the big magazine
distributed with the .Baltimore
Sunday American, on sale at all
newsstands.
o
CORN
Rains have helped the Wake
County corn crop, but drouth had
already damaged the crop by at
least 30 percent, reports John C.
Anderson, farm agent of the N.
C. State College Extension Serv
ice.
PLANNING
Warren County farmers are
now making plans for seeding
crimson clover and vetch as win
ter dever crops, reports R. H.
Bright, farm agent of the N. C.
State College Extension Service.
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